Don't put too much stock (we hope) in those Josh Gordon trade rumors

A couple weeks ago, Josh Gordon said he was told — via a text message from Browns coach Rob Chudzinski — that he wouldn't be traded.Monday, the rumor mill was churning again. The catalyst this time: A report by ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Browns and 49ers had discussed a trade involving Gordon.Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network tweeted that the “Browns aren't shopping their stars. But they have talked to teams about Josh Gordon, including #49ers. They'd like a 2nd rounder in return”.So the Browns won't trade Gordon and they're not shopping their stars.But they have discussed a Gordon deal.Cheer up, Browns fans: The trade deadline is only three weeks away.Remember this any time Gordon's name pops up in trade speculation this month: Browns general manager Mike Lombardi has a lot of friends in the media, and sometimes NFL executives feed rumored deals to said media members as a way to gauge the reaction such a move would receive.That doesn't mean the latest Gordon speculation is coming from Lombardi.But it does mean we shouldn't read too much into the chatter.The reported asking price for Gordon — a second-round draft choice — seems fair for a player who is on his last strike with the league after serving a two-game drug suspension to start the 2013 season.The Browns — as they showed with the Trent Richardson deal, which is looking smarter by the Sunday — aren't afraid to cause a stir with their fans if it means loading up on draft choices for 2014.A deal of Gordon wouldn't make sense, however, for two reasons.

As nice as it would be to have a pair of selections in the first, second and third rounds in 2014, Gordon is more valuable to the Browns than an additional pick — especially a late second-rounder (as would be the case if a deal was made with the 49ers).Then there is this.The Browns have won three in a row and are tied with the Bengals and Ravens for first place in the AFC North.They're over .500 at the five-game mark for the first time in 12 years.Sure, they probably aren't going anywhere as long as Brandon Weeden is the QB, but now isn't the time to trade their best offensive weapon.One, the fans would lose their minds.Two, and more importantly (sorry, fans who enjoy getting fired up), Gordon has 303 yards receiving and is averaging 16.8 yards per catch in three games since returning from his suspension.In 19 career contests, he has 1,108 yards, seven TDs and a norm of 16.3 yards per reception.His five TD catches as a rookie led the team in 2012.That doesn't sound like much until you consider that since 2003 the Browns have had only one player with more than five TD catches in a season — Braylon Edwards, in 2007 (16 TDs) and 2006 (six scores).Since 2003, the only Browns players to reach five TD receptions in a season other than Edwards and Gordon are Jordan Cameron (in five games this year), Steve Heiden (2004) and Andre (not to be confused with Andra) Davis (2003).If Brian Hoyer had remained healthy, there was a chance the Browns would have had a pair of receivers — Cameron and Gordon — with double-digit TDs this season.

Now?They might be lucky if one of the two reaches 10 touchdowns.Regardless, even a front office that clearly is in love with the prospects of 2014 seems very unlikely to trade a player who is better than anyone who will be available on Day 2 of the draft.

Mike Brown and the Cavs, Take 2

The Cavaliers open the preseason Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks.Brandon Knight and O.J. Mayo will go toe-to-toe with Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters in a game that will be televised by Fox Sports Ohio at 7 p.m.If you're more into the Mike Brown way of thinking, something else to watch is how small forwards Earl Clark and Alonzo Gee defend.I loved Gee's description of Brown in Tuesday's Plain Dealer: “He preaches defense every day. I don't think anybody preaches defense like him. He's just teaching us everything. He started from the basics. Every little thing counts. He sees everything. He doesn't give anybody any slouch.”The latter is crucial for a young team that too often played extended stretches of games as if they had never learned the basics of defense last season.As a Cavs source recently said: “Mike will get a lot of these young guys in line.”It's the most probable reason Brown was brought back for a second go-round as coach.It's also the most likely explanation we'll give at the end of the season if the Cavs earn a place as one of the Eastern Conference's top six or seven teams.(If you're thinking “Andrew Bynum staying healthy” would be the best explanation for the above, you're right. But that's less likely than Austin Carr going more than a minute without using a catchphrase.)You can follow me on Twitter for sports information, analysis and a running count of how many times Carr says “deep in The Q,” “throws the hammer down” and “get that weak stuff outta here!” tonight. (Welcome back, basketball.)

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